Reading Assignment December 1 RT 1410-1428, 1432-1436, and 1460-1470

The segment on Toulmin was very interesting, because it seemed to resort more back to ancient rhetoric, rather than progress past modern and postmodern writing and literature. He stresses the importance of argumentation, and the ways in which to develop a strong, cohesive argument by means of a logical approach. Toulmin argues that the model for argumentation is complex, and composed of a very structured formula. He focuses more on rationality, rather than the fluid and self expression of modern and post modern writing. While it does relate to the rigid structures of ancient rhetoric, Toulmin makes a point to argue within his writings that practical reasoning rather than complete formality will strengthen an argument.

Foucault stresses the importance of sexuality, and how major social institutions suppress personal and individual identity. Foucalt's approach was rhetoric and writing was in a very philosophical manner. To him, discourse was merely a practice, rather than what the world truly is in reality.

I felt that Toulmin and Foucalt were almost extreme opposites. Whereas Toulmin focused on reality and a rational, logical way of thinking, Foucault believed more in a philosophical way of thinking, with a high emphasis on sexuality and individualism. Foucalt seemed to follow more of a modern and postmodern structure, whereas Toulmin was more comparable to the rigidity of ancient rhetorics.

November 15 Reading Assignment: The Rhetorical Tradition pgs. 1181-1226

I felt that this assigned reading was interesting, because it pertains directly to how rhetoric was used within society and how it played a part in how it is still used in modern day society. It was argued in The Rhetorical Tradition that rhetoric had little importance to many, because it was outdated and considered too much of a classical area of study, and the fundamental areas within rhetoric were being applied to other studies, rather than taught just on its own.

The textbook also stated that rhetoric evolved into a more comprehensive theory of language, which is a very modernized field. Written word and speech were still important, for things such as job and community success in modern society, because practicing good language clearly is important, no matter if it pertains to classical rhetoric or not. This segment also addresses the continuing importance of logic, because it analyzes the truth and aims to find meaning within different areas of study. I felt like this segment was most prevalent and applicable to modern education now, because it highlighted the things that are taught within the classroom, and it is evident how much language has truly progressed and developed over time.

I also thought the segment addressing women's voice within society highly enlightening. As women were given more rights during this time period, they were becoming more involved in the public and in their community, and granted the right to have more of a voice. This also pertains to people of color, as well, because before, women and people of color had very little intellectual rights. This portion of the reading really highlighted the social changes that were affecting language and written discourse, which are important to acknowledge.

Reading Response November 10-ARCS Chapter 12, RT Maria Stewart and Frederick Douglass

Though the importance of spoken word is not nearly comparable to what it was during the time of ancient and medieval rhetoric, the importance of oral discourse is still apparent. Being able to see a rhetor and hear the oral discourse, as well as the gestures being made, can strengthen an argument in ways that written composition cannot do as efficiently. In this section of Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, the methods of speech are addressed, and rules on grammar are provided. Not only does this chapter cover spoken word, but also the importance of other aspects of visual rhetoric, including textual presentation, which is important in physically presenting an argument, and rhetorics of the Internet, where communication is affected by both visual and media approaches. This chapter highlighted interesting segments of rhetoric from the past, and how the world of rhetoric has evolved over time.

The segment on Maria Stewart was also interesting, in that it highlighted the importance of her writings, which regarded the abolitionist movement for African Americans as well as for women. Her work on both feminism and African American rights show the increasing importance of equality, as people began to fight for their rights as both people of color and as women. By drawing attention to herself, however, Stewart was a controversial being of this time period. It is interesting to read about the struggle for personal rights and freedoms, and how they affected the writings that were being spread upon society during the nineteenth century.

Frederick Douglass, who was born a slave, had an impact on writing, as the movement towards the freedom of African Americans was becoming more paramount with the prevalence of slavery in America during the nineteenth century. This segment highlights Douglass and his struggle to gain rights and a voice within society. He spent a great deal of his life speaking against slavery, which shows the remarkable social changes that were occurring during this time. His written and oral rhetoric were of great importance.

Reading Response November 8 RT Ch. 11, RT pgs. 981-1030

Chapter eleven in Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students addressed the importance of memory, and how it was useful in preserving ancient and medieval pieces of rhetoric. It is stressed that although modern society is able to rely on technology for means of remembering and researching, memory is still important. Crowley suggests that "although the role of memory is not so apparent in written composition, writers do have to be able to remember information or to recall where it is located," and overall knowledge of things that have happened in society are crucial for being a successful writer (Crowley 375).

A lot of historical background is provided within this chapter, and how necessary memory was in order to preserve texts that would otherwise be lost. Two types of memory are also presented: artificial and natural. Though humans rely on natural memory to recall certain things, artificial memory is a learned process, in which the mind is "carefully trained to remember things" by practicing and training their thought process (Crowley 376). This is interesting, because society today has no real need to rely upon their memories, such as Crowley suggests. However, this chapter was interesting to learn the processes that ancient rhetors relied upon.

The segment on nineteenth century rhetoric in The Rhetorical Tradition was especially interesting, because it highlighted huge changes not only occurring within the scope of rhetoric, but within society, as well. Women were beginning to publicly use their knowledge of rhetoric, participating more in society. The Industrial Revolution was a time of economic shift, and more schools were being developed, in which women were oftentimes included. Women were also able to pursue a higher education, though not always accepted, because they were not following their socially traditional roles. Also, by the nineteenth century, composition was becoming more widely practiced and an accepted part of rhetoric. This is important, because it stressed the importance of learning efficient communicative skills in order to be a more influential being within society. During this time period as well, romanticism was increasing, which focus on language itself rather than argumentation, which helped pave the way for the development of poetry during this time period, as a more artistic scope of language and writing.

Richard Whatley was an important figure during this time period, because he attempted to reinstate the importance of the classical teachings. He felt that these ancient foundations were important to the world of linguistics, and he draws upon many ancient rhetoricians, such as Aristotle and Quintilian. He also focused on supporting the Church, since science so highly disregarded its significance within society. During a time that new changes were being brought upon society, Whatley attempted to preserve some of the ancient traditions, by incorporating the logical teachings to modern ideas and theories.

November 3 Reading Assignment, ARCS Chapter 10, Vico and Sheridan

These assigned readings tied completely to the importance of the Enlightenment ideals. During this time period, there was a huge emphasis placed upon sentence composition and being grammatically correct, and the use of exaggerations and colloquial words completely obstructed the true meaning of a phrase or piece of writing. Chapter ten within Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Writers is useful in that it addresses the sort of language devices used within Enlightenment writings. It became of great importance to address and analyze the appropriateness on a given situation, and the gauge the rhetorical strategies based on presented information. The Enlightenment was a crucial time period for the development of grammar, correctness rules, and the overall conventional niceties of language.

The Rhetorical Tradition readings were also interesting during this week. Giambattista Vico is a perfect example of the new ways of approaching intellectual thinking during the Enlightenment. Vico highly criticized Descartes for stressing that math and science are the only legitimate sources of knowledge. Vico believed that the arts and history were of great importance as well, which all affected the world of knowledge and rhetoric. He believed that rhetoric was a superior philosophy of knowledge, based on argument and conviction. To Vico, there are three stages to humankind. The first is poetic, when knowledge is generated by metaphor. The second stage is the heroic stage, where laws are working to preserving the organization of society. The third is the human stage, where human knowledge increases and alters the government of the people.

The segment on Thomas Sheridan is also interesting. He started out as an actor, but became very involved in the field of correcting language, becoming an advocate for the elocution movement. He believed that oratory was important, because it combined the arts with politics, showing a huge connection between the varying ways of thought.

Each of these segments were important, because they stressed the importance of the arts and politics in a connected way, and also discussed the development of language during the time period of the Enlightenment.